thumb
Americannoun
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thumbs
plural
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the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger.
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the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex.
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the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit.
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Architecture. an ovolo or echinus molding.
verb (used with object)
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thumbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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thumbed,
past participle, past
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thumbing
present participle
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to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book.
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to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly.
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to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs.
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(of a hitchhiker) to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel.
idioms
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thumbs up, a gesture or expression of assent or approval.
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under one's thumb, under the power or influence of; subordinate to. Also under the thumb of.
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thumb one's nose,
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to put one's thumb to one's nose and extend the fingers as a crudely defiant or contemptuous gesture.
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to express defiance or contempt; dismiss or reject contemptuously.
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thumbs down, a gesture or expression of dissent or disapproval.
We turned thumbs down to that suggestion.
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all thumbs, awkward; clumsy; bungling.
The visitor almost knocked over a vase and seemed to be all thumbs.
noun
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Technical name: pollex. the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bones
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the corresponding digit in other vertebrates
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the part of a glove shaped to fit the thumb
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architect another name for ovolo
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clumsy
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an indication of refusal, disapproval, or negation
he gave the thumbs down on our proposal
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an indication of encouragement, approval, or acceptance
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at someone's mercy or command
verb
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(tr) to touch, mark, or move with the thumb
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to attempt to obtain (a lift or ride) by signalling with the thumb
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to flip the pages of (a book, magazine, etc) perfunctorily in order to glance at the contents
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to deride or mock, esp by placing the thumb on the nose with fingers extended
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thumbsimple
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thumbssimple
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have thumbedperfect
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has thumbedperfect
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am thumbingprogressive
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are thumbingprogressive
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is thumbingprogressive
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have been thumbingperfect progressive
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has been thumbingperfect progressive
Past
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thumbedsimple
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had thumbedperfect
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was thumbingprogressive
-
were thumbingprogressive
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had been thumbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thumb
before 900; Middle English; Old English thūma; cognate with Dutch duim, Old Saxon, Old High German dūmo ( German Daumen ), Old Norse thumall; akin to Latin tumēre to swell ( tumor )
Explanation
Your thumb is the fifth digit on your hand, the one that doesn't quite match your fingers. Thumbs help us grip objects with care and precision — it would be difficult to hold chopsticks without a thumb. Humans are more dextrous than our closest primate relatives because of our nimble thumbs. They're opposable, so we can move them forward and touch them to our fingers. Some monkeys share this trait, and they're the best able to use primitive tools. Your thumbs make it possible for you to brush your teeth, write with a pen, and snap. You can also thumb through the pages of a book — in other words, turn each page with your thumb.
Vocabulary lists containing thumb
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To put a 5% safe withdrawal rate in historical context, recall that for years, the rule of thumb in retirement finance was that a diversified stock-bond portfolio could only support a 4% SWR.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Global expansion could be the ultimate test of A7’s ability to thumb its nose at Western financial gatekeepers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
If you feel compelled to comment on a famous woman’s body, a good rule of thumb to remember is “don’t.”
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
The production’s rule of thumb became trying to execute scenes practically, in front of a lens, wherever possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
“I had to take the morning off work for something that doesn’t concern me because Marlene” —he jutted a thumb at his wife—“forced me to.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
A few days later, a woman stood outside the window – gesturing a thumbs down.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
How have they built entire cities and extensive infrastructure with no thumbs?
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
While being couriered to the airport, some British passengers - clad in blue PPE - waved and gave thumbs up as they drove past the assembled media.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
And while such daily interactions are reduced to thumbs slipping over greasy rectangles of glass, pinball is irreducibly concrete: physics and mechanics turned into dazzling entertainment, a silvery dance with gravity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Mulch withdrew his thumbs and, after a quick wipe, thrust them in his mouth, allowing the natural balm in his saliva to begin the healing process.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Valerie’s career is a long curtsy to declining standards and compromises; her 2014 journey thumbed its nose at the town’s prestige-chasing.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
In October, I thumbed through snapshots my mother had stashed in albums, envelopes and shoeboxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Live Nation has thumbed its nose at the authorities for more than 20 years, the lawsuit says.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Guests thumbed through the order of service, which one Muslim guest in the pews said was “very helpful” for navigating the Christian ceremony.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
He thumbed over his shoulder, as if we could see all the way to his house from here.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
If you are thumbing through the brochure/paperwork, it will be there in black and white.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
And arm yourself with simple pantry staples that you can graze on lazily, ideally while peeling a clementine and thumbing a paperback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Taking in “Martha” is as soothing as thumbing through the glossy pages of Living, with its parade of touched-up artfully arranged photographs interspersed with archival footage and illustrations serving as tasteful alternatives to reenactments.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024
He points out that engineers are no different from the rest of us when it comes to thumbing through a manual.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
“I think it would be undignified and too much like a small boy thumbing his nose at the back of a larger boy who has beaten him up,” he said.
From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
